The Election Commission of India has banned the publication of exit polls for the assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana, where voting is set to take place on September 18.
In a notification issued on Tuesday, September 3, the ECI stated that publication of any exit polls had been prohibited through any means of media during that period of 7 am on Wednesday, September 18 and 6:30 pm on Saturday, October 5.
"The period between 7.00 A.M. on 18.09.2024 (Wednesday) and 6.30 P.M. on 05.10.2024 (Saturday), as the period during which conducting and publishing or publicising exit poll by means of the print or electronic media or dissemination in any other manner whatsoever, the result of any exit poll in connection with the aforesaid general election, shall be prohibited," the notification stated.
The poll body has also prohibited display of any election matter, including results of any opinion poll or any other poll survey, in any electronic media during 48 hours ending with the hours fixed for the conclusion of the poll.
Election to the 90-member Haryana Legislative Assembly will be held on October 5 in a single phase. Voting in Jammu and Kashmir to elect 90 members of the Legislative Assembly will be held in three phases on September 18, September 25, and October 1.
Counting of votes for both the assembly elections will be held together on October 8.
On August 31, the poll panel revised the election dates for Haryana from October 1 to October 5 and shifted the dates for counting of votes for both Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana assemblies from October 4 to October 8.
Elections in Jammu and Kashmir are being held for the first time after the abrogation of Article 370. According to the Election Commission, Jammu and Kashmir has 88.06 lakh eligible voters.
In the previous Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections held in 2014, Mehbooba Mufti's People's Democratic Party won 28 seats, followed by Bharatiya Janata Party on 25 while Jammu and Kashmir National Conference won 15 and the Congress won 12 seats.